Fitting for fixing an object on a rail

Abstract

A fitting for fixing an object on a rail, the fitting having a retainer (2) in a sliding body and having a holding and locking element (8.1) arranged so as to be movable relative to the retainer.

Claims

1. A fitting (P1, P2) for fixing an object on a rail, comprising a sliding body (1) and a retainer (2), the retainer is movably coordinated with the sliding body (1), the retainer (2) is placed in a lowered and a raised position relative to the rail, and a holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) is provided, wherein the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) is arranged to be movable relative to the retainer (2), wherein a connection element (11) is provided to movably connect the sliding body (1) and the retainer (2), and wherein the connection element (11) has a threaded segment (14), which engages with a threaded borehole (15) of the sliding body (1), and wherein the connection element (11) furthermore comprises a head (12) having a recess (29) for engaging with a tool, and further comprising a first force storing element (21.1) for pushing the retainer (2) toward the lowered position, interlocking structures (17, 18) on the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) and the retainer (2) for engaging with each other in an engaged position to fix the retainer (2) in the raised position, and a second force storing element (21.2) for pushing the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) toward the engaged position.

2. The fitting (P1, P2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) fixes the retainer (2) in both the raised and the lowered position.

3. The fitting (P1, P2) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) is force-loaded.

4. The fitting (P1, P2) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the interlocking structures comprise a fixation device (18) molded onto the retainer (2), and an abutment (17) molded onto the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2), wherein the fixation device (18) and the abutment (17) interact as a detent element for holding the retainer (2) in the raised position.

5. The fitting (P1, P2) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) are located in a position to serve as a locking element and to fix the retainer (2) in the lowered position.

6. The fitting (P1, P2) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) extends across the retainer (2).

7. The fitting (P1, P2) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) transmits to the retainer (2) a force acting essentially orthogonally to a longitudinal axis (20.1) of the rail and in the direction (20.2) of this longitudinal axis (20.1), wherein the holding and locking element (8) bears against an end surface of the retainer (2) which faces away from the rail.

8. The fitting (P1, P2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sliding body (1) is coordinated with a seat (19) for guiding the holding and locking element (8.1).

9. The fitting (P1, P2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein an activating device (16) is provided on the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2).

10. The fitting (P1) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the activating device is a boltlike cross bar (16), which fits into oblong holes (24).

11. A method for fixing a position of a retainer (2) of the fitting (P1, P2) according to claim 1, for fixing an object on a rail, wherein the method includes moving the holding and locking element relative to the retainer (2).

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, including providing the interlocking structures (17, 18) by molding a fixation device (18) onto the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) in an operative connection with an abutment (17) of the retainer (2) for fixing the retainer (2) in a raised position.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the holding and locking element (8.1, 8.2) extends across the retainer (2) for fixing the retainer (2) in the lowered position.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, including moving a connection element (11) having a head in a radial direction toward the retainer (2), wherein the head (12) comes to lie at least partly on the retainer (2).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further benefits, features and details will emerge from the following description of preferred sample embodiments and also by means of the drawings; these show:

(2) FIG. 1: a perspective view of a first embodiment of a fitting according to the invention in starting position (FIG. 1b) and position of use (FIG. 1a);

(3) FIG. 2: a top view (FIG. 2c), various side views (FIGS. 2d, 2b, 2e) and a bottom view (FIG. 2a) of a fitting according to FIG. 1 in the position of use;

(4) FIG. 3: a partly sectioned side view of a fitting according to FIG. 1 in the starting position (FIG. 3a), the position of use (FIG. 3c) and an intermediate position (FIG. 3b);

(5) FIG. 4: an exploded representation of a fitting according to FIG. 1;

(6) FIG. 5: a second embodiment of a fitting according to the invention in starting position in perspective view (FIGS. 5c, 5d), side view (FIG. 5a) and top view (FIG. 5b);

(7) FIG. 6: the fitting according to FIG. 5 in an intermediate position in perspective view (FIGS. 5c, 5d) and side view (FIG. 5a) and in top view (FIG. 5b);

(8) FIG. 7: the fitting according to FIG. 5 in a position of use in perspective view (FIG. 5c), side view (FIG. 5a) and top view (FIG. 5b); and

(9) FIG. 8: a typical airline rail.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(10) FIGS. 1 to 4 show a fitting P1 according to the invention. The fitting P1 has a sliding body 1. This embraces an inner body 4. The inner body 4 has sliding shoes 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, wings 22.1, 22.2 and a connection device 23 for connecting a seat, for example, formed on it. As is best seen in FIG. 4, the sliding body 1 furthermore has a threaded borehole 15.

(11) Moreover, the fitting P1 has a retainer 2, which is coordinated with the sliding body 1 like a saddle. The retainer 2 consists of two side walls 5.1, 5.2, which are joined by a cross wall 7. The side walls 5.1, 5.2 have activating structures 9 formed on them. Moreover, the retainer 2 comprises thickenings 6.1, 6.2. Roughly at the middle of the retainer 2 is formed a recess 25.1 and at one end a trough 18.

(12) Coordinated with the sliding body 1 and the retainer 2 in common are a connection element 11 as well as a helical spring 21.1.

(13) Likewise coordinated in common to the sliding body 1 and the retainer 2 are a seat 19 and a holding and locking element 8.1 guided in the seat 19. The seat 19 has an end region in the form of two shoulders 26. At the side, the seat 19 has two oblong holes 24. The holding and locking element 8.1 has two cylindrical activating devices 16, which reach through the oblong holes 24 or are guided in them. The seat 19 moreover has a recess 25.2 as well as two grooves 28. The holding and locking element 8.1 is furthermore loaded with a spring force at one end by a helical spring 21.2. At the other end, the holding and locking element 8.1 has two edges 17 and an end stop 27.

(14) A recess 10.2 of the seat 19 moreover forms, together with a segment 10.1 of the holding and locking element 8.1, a position indicator 10.

(15) Making reference to FIGS. 1-4, the functioning of the fitting P1 shall be explained as follows:

(16) In a starting position, as is well seen in FIGS. 1b and 3a, the fitting P1 is not inserted into the rail 36 or its opening 35 or at least it is not yet secured in the rail 36. The spring 21.1 acting in the direction of an arrow 20.2 is biased. However, the edge 17, which interacts with the trough 18 as a detent element, prevents the retainer 2 from moving in the direction of the arrow 20.2, following the force of the spring 21.1.

(17) When in the starting position, the fitting P1 can be freely moved in and out of a rail 36. The fitting P1 is introduced into the rail 36 or its opening 35 by introducing the sliding shoes 3 of the fitting P1 through the recesses 33 of the undercut groove edges 32 into the rail 36.

(18) The fitting P1, after being introduced into the rail 36, can be moved or displaced a bit along a direction 20.1 to a desired position within the rail 36. A displacement of the fitting P1 within the rail 36 or its opening 35 is essentially a sliding movement, in which a bottom side 37 of the fitting P1 slides on a bottom 34 of the rail 36. The sliding movement is furthermore supported by the wings 22 of the sliding body 1. Thus, the fitting P1 is securely guided in the rail and can also absorb unwanted forces which arise if necessary.

(19) The holding and locking element 8.1 is then moved a bit contrary to the direction indicated by an arrow 20.3.

(20) In this process, the holding and locking element 8.1 is moved contrary to the direction 20.3 so that the locking element formed from the edge 17 and the trough 18 is no longer locking. This can be done by a user, making use of activating devices 16, which are formed on the holding and locking element. The retainer 2 so released then moves in the direction of an arrow 20.2 or following a force transmitted by the helical spring 21.1 on the retainer 2 into a lowered position. This situation is indicated in FIG. 3b.

(21) The fitting P1 is adapted to the rail 36 such that in particular the thickenings 6 of the retainer 2 secure the fitting P1 in the rail essentially free of play. Furthermore, the fitting P1 is braced via a lower active surface 38 of the retainer 2 and an upper active surface 39 of the sliding shoes 3 on both sides against the undercuts 40 of the undercut groove edges 32. Thus, the fitting P1 is reliably fixed in the position of use when the retainer 2 has taken up the lowered position.

(22) In order to prevent an unintentional outward movement of the retainer 2 against the direction indicated by the arrow 20.2, the holding and locking element 8.1 acts as a locking element when the retainer 2 is found in the lowered position in the rail 36 or its opening 35. This can be clearly seen in FIG. 3c. Following the force of a spring 21.2, the holding and locking element 8.1 slides in the seat 19 across the end face 43 of the retainer 2, this movement essentially following the direction of an arrow 20.3. The movement of the holding and locking element 8.1 is guided on the one hand by being mounted as free of play as possible in the seat 19. On the other hand, two activating devices 16, which are led into two oblong holes 24 of the seat 19, also serve for a stable guidance of the holding and locking element 8.1.

(23) The movement of the holding and locking element 8.1 is limited at one end by the end stop 27, which comes to lie against a shaft 13 of the connection element 11. Biased by the spring force in the arrow direction 20.3, the holding and locking element 8.1 in the position of use shown in FIG. 3c finds itself moreover in operative connection with the end face 43 of the retainer 2, by means of which it is pressed against the undercut groove 32 or the undercuts 40, braced by a lower active surface 38 against the rail 36. At the same time, a force exerted essentially in the direction of the arrow 20.2 on the retainer 2 also works back on the sliding body 1. This is pressed against the groove 32 or the undercuts 40, being braced by an upper active surface 39 of the sliding shoes 3 from an inside of the rail 36 or from its opening 35 against the undercut groove 32.

(24) Optionally, one can now further screw the connection element 11, which has been introduced by a threaded segment 14 into a threaded borehole 15 of the sliding body 1, into the sliding body 1 in the direction of an arrow 20.1. The tool contact 29 on the head 12 of the connection element 11 is used especially for this. By the head 12 braced at least partly against the holding and locking element 8.1, the connection element 11 can exert a biasing force acting in the direction of the arrow 20.1 on the holding and locking element 8.1 and thus also on the retainer 2. By the above described operative connection between retainer 2, sliding body 1 and rail 36, the fitting P1 can thus be secured free of play and noise-free in the rail 36.

(25) Especially advantageous for the fitting P1 according to the invention is the fact that both the force transmitted via the spring 21.1 and also the force transmitted via the holding and locking element. 8.1 to the retainer 2 and the biasing force of the connection element 11 are acting equally in the screwed-in state. Furthermore, all three aforementioned forces act such that a force acting on the retainer 2 in the direction of the arrow 20.2 is always accompanied by a force acting opposite the direction 20.2. on the sliding body 1. This is easily evident, since the force-generating springs and 21.1, 21.2 and the connection element 11 are each mounted directly or indirectly both on or at the sliding body 1 and on or at the retainer 2.

(26) The position indicator 10 moreover constantly tells the user in which position the holding and locking element 8.1 and thus the entire fitting P1 finds itself.

(27) Moreover, the fitting P1 can be easily removed and taken apart, for example in order to replace the spring 21.2 or the holding and locking element 8.1. For this, the connection element 11 is unscrewed from the sliding body 1 by means of a tool fitting the tool contact 29. Thus, the seat 19 is no longer joined by the recess 25.2 to the sliding body 1. The seat 19 can now be easily removed by pulling it off from a bearing element 30 of the sliding body 1 essentially opposite the direction of an arrow 20.1.

(28) FIGS. 5 to 7 show a fitting P2 according to the invention. The fitting P2 differs from the fitting P1 primarily in the configuration of the holding and locking element 8.2, while the seat 19 has been eliminated. Instead, the holding and locking element 8.2 is coordinated with a connection piece 31. Moreover, it has an edge 17 and an end stop 27.

(29) An activating structure 9 moreover serves for a manual movement of the retainer 2. This may be necessary, for example, if a fitting P1 gets jammed in the rail 36 during operation in an airplane or the like on account of dirt and grime on the airplane floor. A manual movement of the retainer via the activating structure 9 can, if desired, also replace the spring 21.1 if one specifically wants to do without a biasing of the retainer 2.

(30) Referring to FIGS. 5-7, the functioning of the fitting P2 shall be explained as follows:

(31) The connection piece 31 determines a possible displacement or swivelling movement of the holding and locking element 8.2. The fitting P2 is held in the starting position in that the holding and locking element 8.2 fixes the retainer 2 by means of an edge 17, which enters into operative connection with the trough 18 of the retainer 2. This situation is shown in FIG. 5.

(32) But if the retainer 2 finds itself in the lowered position into the rail 36 or the opening 35 of the rail 36, there is no longer any operative connection between holding and locking element 8.2 and retainer 2 or between trough 18 and edge 17. This configuration, in which the operative connection between trough 18 and edge 17 no longer exists, is shown in FIG. 6. The holding and locking element 8.2 can now be swivelled relative to the retainer 2 in order to fix it in the lowered position. A swivel axis coordinated with this movement or this swivelling is provided by the connection piece 31. The lowered position of the retainer 2, in which the holding and locking element at the same time reaches around or across the retainer 2, corresponds to the position of use of the fitting P2 and is shown in FIG. 7. A U-shaped segment 41 of the retainer 2 reaches across the end face 43 of the retainer 2 to act as a locking element and prevent a movement of the retainer 2 out from the position of use in which the retainer 2 finds itself in a lowered position. The connection element 11 is situated here between two legs 42 of the U-shaped segment 41 and is thus grasped by the latter. The connection element 11 can now be screwed tight in order to fix the retainer 2 and thus the overall fitting, that is, inserted or screwed a bit further along a direction 20.2 into the sliding body 1, in order to bias the locking element 8.2 by means of the head 12 relative to the retainer 2, which at the same time is biased relative to the sliding body 1.